There is no doubt that the resoundingly successful Jubilee concerts at Buckingham Palace were the result of gargantuan efforts from all concerned to stay one step ahead of the game. Given the incredibly complex nature of the event and the fact that both the rock and classical concerts were staged without the benefit of a full rehearsal and yet went off without a hitch, definitely warrants some mutual back-slapping amongst the crew that made it possible.

Among those whose stress levels were noticeably higher round Jubilee time was hand Held Audio's Nick Bruce-Smith who had the onerous task of organising the incredibly intricate licensing arrangements for the vast number of radio systems on site as well as providing (with the aid of sponsorship from Shure) all the wireless systems for both shows. In total, HHA provided 16 x Shure UHF hand held systems; 4 x Shure PSM600 and 8 x PSM700 in-ear systems each with two receivers plus a further 6 x hardwire in-ear systems all with Shure E1 or E5 generic in-ear monitors, and 6 x beltpack transmitters which ran a variety of DPA 4065 headset mics and DPA 4060 lapel mics. And that was just for the rock and pop concert. The classical show took 8 x Shure UHF hand held systems with beta 87 capsules; 4 x beltpacks with DPA 4060 lapel mics for strings and other acoustic instruments plus 2 x PSM700 in-ear systems.

At that point, having organised all the licensing, prepped the gear and got it on site, Nick and the rest of the HHA team handed over the reins to their man on the ground, John "Freddo" Fredericks, MD of specialist technical services company, Technical Earth. "My job was really just to manage the whole RF scenario so that it was one less thing for everyone else to worry about," explained Freddo. "There was a fair amount of hardware co-ordination between artists coming on and off stage ­ we needed someone on hand virtually full time just to run down straying beltpacks so we could get them back in time to be ready for the next artist! But the main focus of my job was policing the illegal use of radio space which was densely populated enough to give us all a headache, and to act as an Early Warning System for the monitor guys, alerting them to potential problems on stage." Essential kit for Freddo included a Marconi spectrum analyser and test set for illegal frequency detection, and a Yamaha O1V digital console with extra mic-preamps via which he could listen directly to all of the microphones and in-ear mixes on stage.

"When you consider the potential for disaster with such a uniquely complex event and the fact that the airwaves were jam-packed, although it was far from straightforward, we nevertheless had a blissfully uneventful show," said Freddo. We had one errant presenter wandering off somewhere we hadn't anticipated, but we got him covered straight away so it wasn't a problem. The rest was just run-of-the-mill stuff you would expect to encounter at any show and was ironed out accordingly. In terms of set design regarding RF concerns, we couldn't have hoped for a better environment as it was so nice and open with no reflective metal structures for signal to bounce off or to make aerial siting difficult. It all went exactly to plan, despite the fact that we'd had no rehearsal for links and changeovers at all." Freddo attributed much of the event's success to Hand Held's meticulous preparation. "They're a great company to work with ­ really friendly, very together and their gear is always properly prepped and in mint condition. I trust them to do their job and they trust me to do mine, as do the PA companies, so it's a mutually beneficial and comfortable relationship. The fact that the Jubilee went so well is a testament not just to the gear (which performed impeccably of course) but also to the strength of those relationships."

Lars Brogaard and David Bryson, production manager and wireless guru respectively, have asked wireless specialists Hand Held Audio to organise the licensing of their extensive radio systems for the current Rod Stewart UK tour. The tour requires 27 clear frequencies for each show, split between 13 in-ear systems, 6 backline systems for guitars and 8 radio mics for vocals and brass.

Fortunately the AKG IVM in-ear systems & radio mics and the Samson guitar systems all have frequency agility. Without that capability it would be impossible to get the same equipment onto clear channels in venues as diverse as Hyde Park, The Manchester Evening News Arena, Glastonbury Festival and Stormont Castle in Belfast. In order to have the widest possible selection of frequencies the production also has a total of three sets of AKG antennaverters for the vocal and brass systems. This rare beast enables signal to be converted from one frequency to another much lower frequency within the antenna before being sent down the cable to the receiver. As well as increasing frequency options this also has the advantage of allowing for much longer cable runs without signal deterioration. However, even the best-laid plans are capable of going adrift, and usually at the worst possible times.

"Of the three sets of antennaverters they had, only one was set to a frequency that could be used in London for Rod's performance at the Safeway Picnic in the Park," recalled Hand Held's Mick Shepherd. "Unfortunately for them it failed, leaving them with no available frequency at all, hence just the tiniest note of urgency in David Bryson's voice when he called to ask if we could help out! Luckily for him we are probably the only people in London that do carry antennaverters, so we were able to put the necessary gear in a taxi and get it over to him in time. In fact having had such a close shave at Hyde Park they decided to hang onto the equipment for the Wembley Arena shows as well. In total we supplied two pairs of antennaverters and a total of nineteen transmitter modules which I'm pleased to say all worked beautifully this time!"

Things have been busy on the in-ear side side too with clients for custom moulds including Will Campion and Johnny Buckland of Coldplay coming in for a second set of Sensaphonics Prophonic IV each. Toploader's Joe Washbourne and Rob Green who both opted for Ultimate Ears ambient monitors (well, actually their monitor engineer Andrew Thornton chose them ­ the lads just did as they were told!). The UE5's are dual driver devices with an ambient filter which can be changed to control the level of ambient noise that gets through, hence allowing the user to listen at lower volumes.

Other in-ear customers include Chrissie Hynde and Sophie Ellis Bextor who have both had re-moulds, Lisa Stansfield plus Claire and H formerly of Steps who also came in for the custom dual driver monitors ­ suggests we might be hearing from them again soon perhaps..?

Large outdoor events tend to dominate the proceedings at this time of year and 2002 has been no exception. Quite aside from the Jubilee events Hand Held supplied Canegreen with all the necessary wireless for this year's Party in the Park. HHA have also been busy with Brit Row, supplying them with all the in-ear and radio mic systems for the Radio One Big Sunday shows currently taking place up and down the country. ,And of course we mustn't forget the Commonwealth Games, currently in full swing at the City of Manchester stadium. HHA have provided audio contractors Delta Sound with four Shure hand held radio microphone systems "in odd frequencies"( to quote HHA's Mick Shepherd) and had a large system of hand held radio mics for the arrival of the Baton! So all in all a very busy couple of months.
With festival season now in full swing that seems set to continue. Festival news to follow.........